LOS ANGELES, November 7, 2013 -- If movie posters are Hollywood’s unique contribution to the art world, a talented new generation is poised to keep that artform alive and vibrant -- and Janelle Ricci, a Woodbury University graphic design student, is front and center in that emerging contingent.

Woodbury (www.woodbury.edu) announced today that Ricci has become the only undergraduate nationwide to win a Hollywood Reporter Key Art Award this year. The annual Key Art Awards, which have been running for more than 40 years, recognize outstanding creative and design work in entertainment advertising and communications.

Ricci’s submission included five posters designed to promote the 2012 film Fun Size, produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, and starring Chelsea Handler and Johnny Knoxville. Each poster re-imagines a quote from the film, interpreted in the context of costume-themed design, in line with the film’s plot-line. The posters were designed as part of the Graphic Design department’s Entertainment Design studio, under the instruction of Woodbury instructors Donald Schwartz and Steven Gold. The winning submissions can be viewed at: http://www.keyartaward.com/catalog/2013/student/.

“Janelle’s outstanding work speaks to both her remarkable creativity and to Woodbury’s tradition of leadership in key art design,” said Sue Vessella, chair of the Graphic Design program and associate dean of the School of Media, Culture and Design at Woodbury University. “To be the only student winning this prestigious award is a testament to her hard work and to the School’s commitment to nurturing an aesthetic that the entertainment industry values.”

Managed by the CLIO Awards team, known for its annual eponymous competition, the Key Art Awards aim to continue challenging the industry to produce groundbreaking and original work. The awards program encourages submissions that incorporate new technologies, innovative techniques and fresh ideas.

About Woodbury University

Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. Woodbury offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies, along with an MBA program, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), and Master of Organizational Leadership. The San Diego campus offers bachelor of architecture, Master of Real Estate Development for Architects (MRED), and Master of Science in Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism degrees. Visit www.woodbury.edu for more information, and Reflections on Excellence, the new twice-monthly blog written by Woodbury University President Luis Maria R. Calingo, Ph.D.